Conventional electrostatic chuck construction typically consists of a ceramic disc, or puck, mounted atop a cooling plate or other electrostatic chuck component. However, the inventors have observed that by mounting the ceramic puck in such a manner, the amount of heat transferred from the puck to the cooling plate or other electrostatic chuck components limits the temperature that the puck can be raised to, and therefore limits the temperature to which a substrate disposed on the puck can be heated, thereby limiting the available window of process parameters that may be utilized for processing.
Accordingly, the inventors have provided an improved electrostatic chuck assembly.